Strategy 3: Alternatives

Definition: This strategy provides for Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) free activities for groups, especially youth. Examples include constructive activities such as neighborhood clean-up campaigns, development of community youth centers, or social and recreational activities such as ATOD free dances or organized after-school sports events.

Alternative activities reinforce the "no use of illegal drugs, no illegal use of legal drugs" message while bonding the youth to the school/community.

• Programs that provide opportunities for leisure activities that are free of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, are effective in changing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use behaviors! Academic success and bonding to the school community are especially important in reducing a child's risk factors, therefore an after school mentoring and/or tutoring program is a great alternatives that supports an important need!
• Adult supervised "safe places" where youth can gather and find social and educational support, positive activities, athletic programs, mentoring, and more offer positive alternatives. 

• Many young men and women would rather believe (or have others believe) that they are participating in a community program or a recreation league instead of a prevention program, since they don’t want to be labeled as having a problem.
• Young people, adults, and families need opportunities to engage in alcohol-free, tobacco-free and illegal drug-free activities.
• Children who live in high risk environments need safe places to spend time, such as Boys Clubs or Girls Clubs.  
• If the only peers that a child interacts with use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, they need opportunities to meet and develop relationships with friends who do not.
• Youths need alternatives to experience and reinforce healthy behaviors and life-styles.

Source: Turning Awareness Into Action: What Your Community Can Do About Drug Use in America

When coordinating Red Ribbon Week, Alternatives are the various activities associated with your school based prevention awareness campaign, such as:

• A Red Ribbon Rally
• A Red Ribbon Dance
• A Red Ribbon Run
• A Red Ribbon Pizza Party

Alternatives provide a way for you to involve students in the process of developing your awareness campaign (ask your student committee to develop the activities!)

The most obvious way of offering alternatives is by involving students in the process of developing your Red Ribbon campaign. Remember to form a committee. Be inclusive.

Another way of hosting alternatives is to ask each of the clubs on campus to host an activity during the week.

When Your Budget is Limited

If you want to host Alternative Activities as part of your Red Ribbon Celebration but think you need a big budget to do so, think again.

1.) Community events, environmental prevention campaigns and community service projects are excellent Alternatives and they don’t require much money to host.

2.) Organize a project where students from the high school go to local after-school day care facilities - or boys and girls types of clubs - and host Red Ribbon Activities for younger students.

• It can be as simple as reading to the children, helping them with homework, playing a baseball or soccer game, organizing a track and field meet, etc.

3.) Ask students to decorate their own street with Red Ribbons (on the trees and light fixtures in their neighborhood).

• They could provide each of their neighbors information about the Red Ribbon Celebration and along with a Red Ribbon to display on a tree in their yard, on their front door, or other visible place on their property.

4.) Older students could create "Big Books" (giant books that feature drawings of everyday items that children should not put in their bodies, along with captions).  Give the "Big Books" to primary grade teachers to use in their classroom. 

5.) Collaborate with local business, police, city and community leaders to develop Red Ribbon Celebration activities that benefit the entire community.

• A Red Ribbon rally, art and essay contest, walk, run, or other bigger event.

6.) Work with local agency/service providers (nonprofit and civic organizations).

• They may be providing wonderful Alternatives that the students you serve can benefit from! Often, their biggest challenges is getting their programs/services into local schools or getting students involved in their projects.

Next: Strategy 4: Problem Identification & Referral